Dying Heart, Living Soul
by CinnamonMaddie
Summary: They said she only had a month to live. Agatha's determined to make the most of it, though it seems that her plans will be ruined by a particular, blue eyed boy: someone that's gotten on her nerves and bothered her for all her life. But one month can change everything, and Agatha soon finds herself with everything that she holds dear... and realizing just what she stands to lose.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Why weren't we told sooner?"

"I never suspected.. there weren't any signs... she's always been a very lively girl - always very energetic..."

"How long? How much longer, Doctor?"

"Three weeks. A month at the most."

"No... You can't be serious. Check again. Check again!"

She sat there on the cold bench outside of Doctor Sader's office. Her mother's voice rose, louder than she'd ever heard it. Dr Sader murmured something she couldn't catch. For a moment, it was silent. Then Callis began yelling again. "There has to be a cure. She has insurance - no, this can't be possible - not my Agatha..."

The girl felt herself shiver once. For the past weeks, she'd felt worse and worse. It was as if a chill had slowly crept up on her. After one day when she'd stared at her homework for over an hour, her mother had finally scheduled an appointment with their doctor. Agatha stared at the wall in front of her, the people walking through the hallway blurs. She heard the facts, knew what was in front of her, whispering into her ear, but she couldn't believe. A dull numbness settled over her. The time would come when the realization would hit her hard in the stomach, but for now, it felt like something in the far, far future. The fact that... she shook her head, unable to think about it.

It took her a few minutes to realize her mother's voice had changed. Before, it was angry and accusing. Now it was low and pleading: "What can I do? Is there anything that would help her?"

"Rest would be best, really. Make sure she's comfortable. Keep exercise at a minimum. It's very likely that she'll grow more tired as the days go by..."

Their voices dropped. Agatha stared down at her pasty, pale hands. The minutes passed until the door opened. She turned and saw her mother's dark brown eyes fill with tears before she said tightly, "Agatha, dear, let's go home." She stood up and followed her out of the small hospital. Her mother gripped her hand firmly as they walked up to their car and drove away.

They were silent as the car drove down the streets. Agatha glanced over once to see her mother's face white as a ghost. It became obvious that her mother wasn't going to bring up what had happened in the hospital. She closed her eyes and remembered Dr Sader's reassuring voice as Callis went over what Agatha had been feeling like for the past months.

The silence soon became unbearable. She glanced at the clock and imagined a timer ticking away the short days she had left.

"Mother, I heard what he said."

Callis gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Don't lose hope, Agatha," said her mother, voice gentle. She was treating her as if Agatha was made of glass - fragile and about to break at the slightest nudge. "You just get some rest when we get home, okay? Don't worry about your exams next week."

Agatha thought of the Doctor's words: "It's very likely that she'll grow more tired as the days go by."

A fire began to burn inside her chest. It simply wasn't fair. Agatha had turned sixteen only a month ago. She was a good daughter - she always did well in school; she never smoked and only drank wine twice; and she always tried to be kind to those around her. Agatha thought of the girls like Beatrix and Reena at her school, who only accepted the prettiest and richest into their small group. There was nothing about her that suggested that she should be punished in any way.

But out of the two hundred people in her school, she was the one diagnosed with an incurable illness. It didn't matter what the Doctor said. It didn't matter what her mother told her in small whispers.

Nothing could change the fact that she was going to die.

Agatha found to her horror that she was actually crying. Her vision blurred and she swiped away the tears. Now the knowledge that her life was going to end hit her hard. There was still so much she hadn't done. There was so much that she wanted to do. She wanted to taste exotic foods that she'd never try now, visit famous landmarks that she'd never see.

She caught sight of her face in the side mirror. Her messy black hair hung over her face like a shroud. Panic pulled at her heart as she remembered Dr Sader telling her mother to make her comfortable. She'd couldn't spend the next few weeks lying in her bed, possibly not even stepping outside of her house. She - she couldn't do that. It would crush her, barely seeing the sunlight or anyone besides her family.

Doctor Sader predicted that she'd be tired. But right now, she felt anything but that. Her heart was beating as hard as if she'd just run a mile. She wouldn't let this disease rule her and control her actions for the rest of her life. She wouldn't.

Agatha forced the tears away and looked up to see that they had been parked at their driveway for over five minutes. Her mother was looking at her worriedly. "Do you want to eat lunch now, Agatha?" she asked. She was looking at her like that again, in her cautious, sympathetic way.

Agatha couldn't bring herself to say anything. A defiance began to brew inside of her. "Yes, that would be fine. I'm starving," said Agatha loudly. She opened the door of the car as confidently as she could.

She knew Callis was still staring at her in surprise as she walked up to the door to their house. That was fine. She just had to show her mother that her sickness wasn't going to change her. In fact, it wouldn't even bother her. The inklings of a plan began to grow as they walked into their small, two story house.

Agatha wondered whether it would sound crazy when she told her mother about her decision, before dismissing it. She always behaved rashly. This was just the icing on top of the cake.

 **•t•a•g•a•t•h•a•**

Agatha looked down at the salad her mother had placed at their table. It had nothing but lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes - there wasn't even any dressing. She held back a sigh. "Mom, you do know that it's not going to matter about what I'm eating, right?"

Her mother's eyes widened. "I just want you to have a healthy lunch." Her voice seemed to tremble for a second.

Agatha opened her mouth to point something out - that it didn't matter what she ate, not really - when she caught sight of the expression on her mother's face. Silently, she lifted her fork to her mouth and chewed.

The resolve deepened into determination. They could use her college funds for what she was going to plan. She felt a deep ache as she realized that all her hours walking dogs and babysitting children basically were all for nothing - not that she asked for much money in the first place. Agatha wondered briefly how much she'd earned for the past two years... During all those hours in the summer and the weekends working at something she'd never have.

Then she realized something. There was no way she'd do what she wanted by herself. And her mother would never be able to help her: she had her own job working as a teacher in elementary school. Agatha wondered whether she should just give up and resign herself to laying on her bed for the rest of her life.

She ignored the voice in her head urging her to just go to sleep or read a book. They could figure out the other details later. And so Agatha looked up from her plate, clearing her throat slightly. She saw Callis hastily pretend to be eating and sighed inwardly. "Mom, I have an idea," said Agatha hesitantly. She bit her lip, steeling herself, before continuing. "I know what the doctor advised." Agatha saw her mother open her mouth and continued quickly. "I know the symptoms of a cancer victim, I'm not blind. But..." She set down the fork and placed her hands on their brown, dark table. "I don't think I'll be able to watch the last days of my life pass away inside our house, Mom. I won't be able to just wait for my..."

Her voice wavered. She could sense Callis staring at her, even though she was staring at the table now. Agatha knew both of them were wondering whether she was going to say the word.

She plunged on. Of course there was no way she would be able to say the 'd' word.

"I want to see the world, mother," said Agatha finally. Her voice became formal as it always did when she was reciting a speech or in front of a crowd. Even now, her neck burned a mild red and she tried not to scratch it. She tried to review the sentence she had just said. Who even said something like that? Who could even truly 'see' the whole, entire world?

But she had less than a month to live. It would have to be enough.

"I want to go somewhere, visit and discover other places before it's too late. Gavaldon is fine - it's perfect..." Her voice broke off as she thought of her hometown. "But I want to... I can't explain it, I can't - "

Of course her mother wouldn't understand. Callis had lived in Gavaldon all her life, perfectly content with the life she was living. Agatha smeared away tears, a hot, sick feeling in her stomach.

She looked up to see her mother staring at something behind her. Agatha turned to see Callis gazing at... nothing. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she seemed to be thinking hard; then she said slowly, "I never told you where I grew up, did I?"

Agatha knew that her face had to show at least some confusion. Callis smiled slowly, a sweet, faraway one. Some of worry lines on her mother's face smoothed away, and her face suddenly seemed years younger. "I grew up in Netherwood, a town in Rhode Island," she continued. Rhode Island? That was states away. Why did her mother never tell her that?

"I wanted to live big. Become a scientist or a doctor. But I didn't have the money, and my parents weren't either, to go to a good college. I was accepted to one that was in Florida, hundreds of miles away. But there was no scholarship for me. So I went to a smaller college and got a degree. I thought" - pain flashed across Callis' face - "that I had found someone who I loved and who loved me back, but the relationship was doomed to last." Her mother took a breath. "I moved here to get a fresh start. It's been wonderful here, Agatha. And I never thought that it was so important I had to tell you when you were so young."

She reached across the table and took Agatha's cold hand. She didn't move away. "I understand. Know that I love you, Agatha, and that even if I didn't approve your idea - I would support you anyway." Callis beamed at her only daughter and finished, "I can apply for a sick day at work tomorrow, and then we have Saturday and Sunday. That should be enough time."

Agatha felt overwhelmed. Everything was moving too fast for her to keep up. She wanted to backtrack and carefully plan out everything for at least a week. But the invisible clock kept ticking away the seconds of her life, and she swallowed. Lifted her head. Smiled. And said, "Yes. That sounds wonderful."

For the next fifteen minutes, she explained everything that she'd thought of, her mother listening thoughtfully. They sat on a coach and drank chocolate milk together, Agatha absentmindedly stroking Reaper, her pet cat. It did sound a bit bold when she listed her whole plan - to visit the most famous cities in the world and try out new things in the space of a month - but now that her mother had agreed, Agatha was determined to see things to the end.

Her mother leaned back to sit down again. Her eyebrows creased as she came to the same realization that Agatha had thought of ten minutes before. "But, Agatha, dear, who would help you around? Not that you're not capable of taking care of yourself... but you're only sixteen. I want to help you - I really do - " Agatha smiled sadly as her mother rushed to explain herself. "You know what, Agatha, we'll get on airplanes and drive around, that'll be fun - "

"No, it's okay. You need to teach and take care of your students," replied Agatha softly. For some random reason, her mother's eyes filled with tears again and she pulled Agatha into a warm embrace. Reaper scratched both of them and Agatha hastily patted him; he jumped off of the couch and ran away. They both laughed until Agatha's stomach hurt.

Then Callis gasped. Agatha spotted the gleam in her mother's eyes and felt uncomfortable. The last time she'd looked like that, Agatha had ended up inviting everyone in fifth grade to her birthday party. Callis had mass produced over a hundred birthday invitation cards, but no one had come; she'd had a typo on the address and given everyone the wrong location. Before that, she'd tried to bake any type of sweets she could and managed to almost burn down their house. Their joke was that insurance would cover anything.

Agatha thought of her impending - she tried not to think of the word - death and realized somberly that no amount of money could save her now.

"I know Arthur, we talk almost every other week. He has a son, Agatha, I think you know who he is, and he's a senior, they have this trip that they're going to Disney World or something for a couple of days, almost a week." Agatha smiled as her mother continued talking rapidly, trying to finish her thought, but then her smile faded as Callis went on. "Then they're out of school. He's already applied for a college, and they've accepted him - and he won't have too much to do, I _think_ \- "

Agatha was already shaking her head. "There's no way he'll agree to come with me around the world," she exclaimed. Her mind was already buzzing as she desperately tried to think of excuses. "And the cost - it's too much. It's better if I just go alone or something."

Callis smiled thoughtfully. "I'm sure he won't mind. The Pendragon's are pretty rich. And you know, Agatha, I've known Arthur for over a decade. We've done favors for each other in the past."

Agatha felt herself shriveling up, literally. "But not ones like these," she said desperately. "Mom, you know that we hate each other, and he's an absolute idiot. I can't spend my last month with him," she cried, dropping her voice dramatically. "Mom..."

But Callis was too far gone with her plan, even after hearing her daughter's plea. "What was his name again?" said Callis thoughtfully.

Agatha groaned and buried her face in her hands, feeling another sharp twinge inside.

"Oh, yes. About Arthur's son." Callis pulled out her phone and finding the contact. "He's really a nice young man, Agatha. Don't worry, he'll be quite helpful and understanding."

"Mom..."

"Hello, Arthur! Oh, you heard from Sader? Yes, it's terrible. No, we've planned something quite different. And if your son doesn't mind helping, then... yes, yes. Thank you so much. Should he come over later?"

Callis finished the call after a few minutes, saying brightly, "Say hello to Tedros for me."

 **•t•a•g•a•t•h•a•**

 **This is my first fanfiction, so any reviews would be greatly appreciated! Tell me what you think :)**

 **-CinnamonMaddie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: 33 days left**

Agatha shook her head. "Mom, you can't be serious," she said despairingly. "Besides the fact that he's an absolute prat and cares about nothing besides his own appearance - _oh, does my hair look okay?_ \- he has a life too. He's what, a senior? He's going to be going to _college_ soon. Pendragon has his own life. He has his own problems. We don't have to involve other people in my... situation. We can, um, manage just fine without asking other people."

Callis didn't seem to have heard her daughter. After hearing the word 'problem' and 'situation', her eyes glittered like cold diamonds. "I'm sure Arthur would understand. We... we have our own history. And Agatha, I _don't_ want to hear you speak so flippantly of your life again. I..." She lost her composure for a second. "I don't want you to be thinking of these things."

"I'm not speaking flippantly," said Agatha, slightly stung. "I'm just saying that - for heaven's sake, when I was nine he drew a witch and a cat all over my lunchbox! In fifth grade he got everyone to call me an Evil Witch!" She looked down at her frayed black t-shirt and ugly, gray-black leggings. She'd stopped wearing her baggy black dresses a few weeks ago because of how she seemed to be outgrowing them all. And for some reason, stores around them didn't seem to be selling them anymore. _Of course,_ she thought wryly, _maybe it's because they don't sell clothes from the late nineteenth century._

Callis smiled gently. "How much long ago was that, Agatha?" asked her mother gently. Agatha grumpily agreed she had a point. When they'd gotten older, he stopped bothering her as much; their schedules and classes were too different for them to truly walk into each other. Ignoring her whenever she was in school was only a step higher than relentless teasing and mockery, though. She balanced her hot chocolate cup on her lap as she put down her phone. "It's getting too hot for this," she said thoughtfully.

Agatha was still in shock.

"I'll drive you over to Arthur's house. It's probably best if we go there within the next hour, or it'll be close to dinnertime. Would you like me to stay there for the first few minutes?" Her mother scrunched up her face. "Dr Sader already informed Arthur" - she ignored Agatha's splutterings to why their doctor would tell the Pendragon's something like that - "he's an old friend, really, dear. But I doubt that Tedros would know about it so soon," Callis concluded. She smiled at her daughter. "I'll talk to Arthur while you're discussing this with Tedros. It really is a big thing to ask for him, seeing as he's going to Disney World soon..."

"He's already prepaid the money," said Agatha quickly. "It wouldn't be polite to ask him to just cancel his trip with the rest of his class, in fact it'd be downright rude. So it doesn't look like things will work out."

"But then again, _you_ could come along with them. These are very special circumstances," Callis mused. "I can schedule a talk with your principal. You've gotten good grades this semester, haven't you?" Her sharp brown eyes fixed onto Agatha's face, which turned beet red instantly. While Agatha was still stuttering out a reply, her mother smiled brightly. "Then she'll make an exception."

A sharp _ping_ made them both look at her phone. "Excellent. We should get going now; their house is almost half an hour away." Agatha tried to smile. It came out more as a scowl. Callis stood up and took her mostly empty hot chocolate cup away from her, heading towards the kitchen. "Get ready, Agatha," called Callis. She stopped and turned around, face softening. "I do think this is the best for you, you know."

 **•t•a•g•a•t•h•a•**

Agatha tried not to peer out the window, but like she always was, she was unable to stop craning her head to see the large, castle-like house. There were at least five floors, with a mini garden near the dark, elegantly formed gates. The Pendragons had always been rich, the most generous sponsors to all the organizations in Gavaldon. They always appeared at any social meeting that had any bit of importance. Of course, they were always viewed as the most perfect family miles around: Arthur, a tall, stern looking but handsome man; Guinevere, his wife: though she wasn't as elegant or stately as her husband, she was still beautiful; and their only son, Tedros.

Agatha still remembered the first time they'd met, very faintly. Her mother had met Arthur and Guinevere with a courteous nod. Tedros had hovered near his mother, staring at Agatha with an expression she'd never seen before. After the adults had talked for over ten minutes, Tedros had pointed at her and asked loudly, "Are you dressing up for Halloween?" Even at her age, she could understand the slight insult. Her neck had burned red, a rash spreading rapidly across her entire neck. Callis had mumbled something and pulled Agatha away. They'd sat down near the table with food and started eating, but Agatha hadn't been able to forget that incident. After that, Tedros had teased her constantly. She'd only gotten back at him once, when he'd poked fun at her cat; he'd made the mistake of reaching down towards Reaper, and in return, Reaper had scratched him. She smiled, but then frowned as she felt that something was off about the house. It was only when Callis got permission to bring the car past the gates that Agatha realized what was wrong.

The windows had always been sparkling and immaculately cared after, but now they were dusty; she had trouble even seeing through them. The gate used to be a gleaming, dark black, but now it looked almost... rusty. The garden that surrounded the road leading up to the house had what seemed to be withered up and dead plants. She saw flowers with droopy petals and dead grass as their car drove past. There was a distinct feeling of neglect in the air.

They parked their car near the house. Agatha looked down at the circular driveway and saw plants growing on the cracks. She hadn't been here since she was twelve or thirteen; Tedros had hosted a party to celebrate the beginning of seventh grade. But she was pretty sure it didn't look like this.

"What... happened?" she murmured. Callis didn't hear her.

They got out of the car. Her mother walked swiftly up the stone steps, pressing the doorbell once. They waited. Agatha silently counted the seconds ticking by: 20, 30, 60. When nothing happened, Callis knocked on the door twice.

This time, the door opened. Arthur stood there, a broad smile on his face. "Callis, it's lovely to see you," he said. Agatha stood there uncomfortably as they exchanged brief pleasantries, before he gestured for them to come in. Again, she had that feeling of unease. He wore a a crisp black suit, with shining shoes. He had an immaculate haircut, and Agatha had the same feeling that she always had when she looked at him: that he was _too_ perfect, always looking as if he was posing for a magazine. No, it was that feeling of world weariness: that way of holding himself so stiffly as if afraid he was about to fall apart. He seemed like what the outside of the house had looked like - a shadow of what he had used to be.

They walked through a hallway that was positively shining with wealth. Chandeliers sent light sparkling all around the white, blank walls, and the ground had the softest carpet that Agatha had ever felt. A large, plasma t.v. seemed to be mocking her, placed somewhere in the far left of the room. Agatha inhaled as quietly as she could, but the sharp air conditioned atmosphere still managed to make the breath cut through her chest. All of this wealth swam in front of her, drowning her and making her dizzy. But through all of that, one emotion pushed its way in front of her.

There were no personal touches. On some of the tables placed around the room, there were actually frames for photos, but no pictures. There were no clothes strewn around the couches like at her home, and it was almost completely silent. The crushing sensation of loss surrounded her. Agatha blinked twice, eyes actually watering.

Arthur smiled at them. "Please, sit down. I'm going to call Tedros downstairs."

Agatha gingerly sat down onto one of the couches. They looked as if they had never been sat on. She waited for him to leave the room, but instead he crossed over to the doorway and pressed a button on a sleek, black panel. She gaped at him as he spoke into it. "Tedros? Tedros, you have a visitor."

The irritated voice that replied made Agatha jump; he was practically shouting. "Tell her that I'm not interested."

"It's not - "

The volume increased. He was definitely shouting now. "We broke up weeks ago, Beatrix," the voice yelled. "I don't care about what you have to say, we were together long enough! Stop coming to my house and bugging me all the time!"

Arthur looked at Callis in apology before snapping briskly, "It's not Beatrix. Get down right now, young man."

A loud sigh came from the panel and then Arthur turned and gave a strained smile. He crossed over the room and sat down on one of the other couches across from Agatha and Callis.

A minute later, a boy strode in. Agatha looked up, wondering what she would say - but before she had the chance, the boy began to talk, without looking at any of them. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say, Reena or Giselle or Annabelle, you can tell Beatrix that we're not getting back together, and please stop coming over, I actually have more important things to do - "

She'd prepared a mini speech on where she might tell him roughly that none of this was her idea, and she would tell Tedros she was fine if he said no, but everything flew out of the window as he stopped his rant and stared at her. Agatha wondered briefly if he'd make a sarcastic remark, but Arthur intervened in the quickest and most brutal way possible for Tedros to find out.

"This is Agatha, son, if you remember. She needs your help" - Tedros continued to frown at her as Agatha sat there stiffly - "because she's going to die in a month."

Agatha let out one, small, anguished gasp, almost completely silent. The words made her feel as if she would faint, put so bluntly by a single rich man. She fixed her face, but not before she caught sight of her mother's expression, which looked almost angry. Was she mad at her 'old friend's' tact? But then again, Arthur Pendragon didn't seem like the kind of man to beat around the bushes.

The boy's expression changed. His face, so annoyed before, froze in something that seemed to be half pity and half mortification. Tedros stared blankly at Agatha; she stared straight back at him with no emotion on her face.

A silence so uncomfortable that Agatha swore she could've walked through it hovered over the room.

As she stared straight back at the boy who was looking at her with so much shock, she couldn't help but notice some changes in Tedros, however sly. He was taller than she'd ever seen him - though she hadn't really gotten a good look at him for three years - and his golden blonde hair caught the light easily. His azure blue eyes were wide and surprised. Agatha mentally hit herself for thinking things like that. Azure blue eyes? More like muddy and dark.

Finally, he rasped, "Why?"

Agatha opened her mouth, and then closed it, stunned. For the briefest of moments, she'd had the urge to lie and say she was all right: that she was going to live a good, long life. But for what reason? Had she actually wanted to protect this rude, arrogant boy from the truth for a second?

Again, Arthur cut in, and Agatha wasn't sure if she should be irritated or grateful. "Why don't you two go to another room and she can explain everything to you?"

Tedros nodded stiffly, turned, and walked out of the room with another word. Agatha stood up and followed him, keenly aware of her mother's eyes fixed on her the whole time.

They passed through the hallway silently before he walked up a set of white, pristine steps. Agatha suddenly felt exhausted as she walked up the winding stairs. She felt a stitch in her side, but pushed on.

Tedros finally stopped when they reached what seemed to be the fifth floor. He walked out into the hallway, Agatha lagging slightly behind him. He pushed open a set of doors and they walked into another room. It seemed to be the loneliest of them all, with only a chandelier and carpet. And yet, as she looked around it, Agatha felt slightly... warmed. The room seemed to have felt happier days.

She turned when she saw him sit down in the middle of the room. Slowly, she sat down two feet across from him. He seemed to avoid looking at her; neither of them said anything for several minutes.

Finally, he opened his mouth and said, "Mind you, I think I would have preferred seeing Beatrix today instead of..." He shifted awkwardly. "...no offense."

"No offense?" Agatha suddenly found her voice, indignant. He looked up at her, mouth slightly open. If she wasn't mistaken... Tedros actually looked worried at making her feel bad. He ducked his head and stared at the ground.

"You mean, you'd prefer that clingy girl over me?"

He looked so uncomfortable that Agatha eventually felt sorry for him. "I'm just joking," said Agatha. He looked up and gave a small smile.

She remembered the small speech she had planned, but she'd forgotten everything about the part where she would tell him it was fine if he said no. She bit her lip and felt her neck begin to itch uncomfortably.

"My mother..." Agatha began. She suddenly wondered what her best friend would say; she was in Tedros Pendragon's luxurious house, having a civil conversation, only a few feet away from him. Sophie would likely freak out or gush about him endlessly. "MymotherwantsmstocometoDisneyLandwithyou," she said quickly.

Tedros looked confused.

"Um, like go with you and the rest of the seniors to Disney. Maybe visit the same places..?"

She waited for Tedros to look annoyed, or irritated, or at the least confused. Instead, he laughed. "You're worse than her, really," said Tedros in a wondering tone. He continued to laugh, the same mocking laugh he'd had when making fun of her. "I mean, at the least, you don't have to get my father into this. Seriously, Agatha?"

Agatha felt completely confused. "What..."

He glared at her. "I would have expected Beatrix to do something like this, but she wouldn't have enough brains," he said, his voice dripping with so much disdain that she wanted to cover her ears. "But..." He frowned. "Why would my father say such a thing? Even that's a little drastic."

She felt her neck sear red. Something was wrong. "What on earth are you talking about?" asked Agatha.

Tedros shook his head. "Why would he say you were going to die?" He laughed shortly. "But then again, these days he's not even here half the time."

Agatha felt half horrified to hear all this venom coming out of Tedros' mouth. Then something registered. _Why would he say you were going to die?_

He seemed to be talking in slow motion; and her ears didn't seem to be working right. She talked right over him: "Wait, you don't _believe_ me?" Agatha stared at his face, blue eyes hard as steel. He looked over her once more, as if he couldn't believe her.

"Get out," said Tedros simply.

He stood up; so did she. But out of the disbelief, anger rose. Slowly at first, but then harder and harder until she was glaring just as hard back. How did this pretty rich boy think she was joking about her own life? She took out the word 'pretty' and replaced it with 'ugly' quickly, ignoring that part.

 _Fine_ , she thought angrily. _I didn't want you to help me anyway._

Agatha stalked past him. She was almost to the door when she felt a dull throbbing and closed her eyes. A headache pounded its way through her mind, before it receded mostly.

She opened her eyes to see Tedros staring at her. Apparently she'd been standing there longer than she thought.

His face had the same expression from downstairs: mortification, and also the realization that he'd messed up. "Agatha, I'm - I'm sorry..." he managed, face softening. "I... I shouldn't have said that" - he laughed uncomfortably - "I've been spending too much time with Beatrix. I'm sorry - "

Agatha thought of sneering at him and marching out, driving back home with her mother in silence. But his soft blue eyes stared at her apologetically and she slowly crossed back over the room and sat down silently.

"Um, about going to Disney World," he said awkwardly. "Do.. do you want to go into more details?" Agatha remembered his initial reaction; at least this time he wasn't telling her to get out. A silence fell, before Agatha spoke again.

"Really, Tedros?" she asked. "Did you think I liked you or something? Dear god, Tedros, as if I could ever like an egotistical brat." Agatha snorted at the thought.

Tedros turned red in what seemed like less than five seconds. Inwardly, she laughed as he spluttered, "Well, no one would like a witch girl like you."

Agatha tried not to laugh again. His retorts had gotten so much feebler and repetitive. She doubled over and coughed twice into her arm instead of replying.

Almost immediately, he rushed over to her side, one hand placed onto her shoulder as he said frantically, "Agatha, I'm so sorry..." She coughed harder. "I didn't mean to - "

He was evidently under the impression that she was dying.

"Dear god, I'm sorry for all the things I said," continued Tedros. Agatha started laughing harder, burying her head in her lap. " _H*ll,_ I wish I could take everything back - Agatha, I'm so sorry, I was really mean, I - "

She looked up. Something in her expression must've made him feel worse, because he looked down at the ground guiltily, still saying apologies. She wiped a stray tear away.

Then she punched him.

Tedros looked down again, and saw her rolling on the plush, incredible carpet, laughing. "What..."

"Your face," she gasped, trying not to chuckle. "Priceless..." His face, so pale before, turned beet red again. She crossed her legs again, smiling innocently at him. "And that was to get back at everything you've ever said to me."

Tedros was incoherent.

"Now," said Agatha, "let's talk for real."

 **•t•a•g•a•t•h•a•**

 **This chapter was so fun to write, for some reason!**

 **So many thanks have to go to WritingMyOwnDestiny and bandidaciega for so much encouragement! Check out their fanfictions: Imperfect Queen, Dangerous Games; and Flowers, and Partners In Crime. They're awesome!**

 **Tell me what you think! :)**

 **-CinnamonMaddie**


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